We read the “Marina roils the water” article in the Adirondack Explorer (Jan/Feb, 2017) and were surprised by the article’s inattention to the concerns of many members of the Saranac community regarding the proposed size of the marina. While the old marina clearly needs to be rebuilt, expanding the marina’s boat capacity by 110—so that it can house 270 large boats—would completely change the character of Lower Saranac Lake. At present, all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts share the lake harmoniously—paddlers, swimmers, campers, water skiers, fishermen, sailboats, and rowboats. The lake is home to several loons and bald eagles, who return >>More

By Tracy Ormsbee In early April, twelve more businesses in the vicinity of the former Finch, Pruyn lands received a total of $500,000 in Upper Hudson Recreation Hub Microenterprise grants backed by the Nature Conservancy. The money pays for businesses to capitalize on recreational opportunities, such as hiking, rafting, canoeing, and fishing, on the newly protected lands, including the Essex Chain Lakes, Boreas Ponds, stretches of the upper Hudson River, and the two MacIntyre Tracts near Tahawus. The state acquired the Finch, Pruyn lands—sixty-five thousand acres, in all—from the conservancy over the past several years. There is a long history >>More

Even as debate over how the state should classify newly acquired lands continues, creative ideas from state and local officials point to exciting ways for local communities and the Park as a whole to benefit from the expansion of the Forest Preserve. The state’s phased purchase of sixty-five thousand acres of former Finch, Pruyn and Company timberlands over the past five years has held out the promise of sustainable economic development from the start. As spectacular natural attractions like OK Slip Falls, the Essex Chain Lakes, and Boreas Ponds are open to the public for the first time, they should >>More

Mike Lynch’s article [“Building on tradition,” September/October 2016] was a fine report on an inspired (and inspiring) group of guideboat builders, but I’d like to add some thoughts. Guideboats typically have three caned seats, not one or two, and the boat is rowed from the bow; the middle seat is for solo rowing, or for another passenger (like the stern seat, it was often equipped with a backrest). To call guideboats “heavy and a bit bulky” is rather a slap in the tumble-home. Their beam may be wider than most canoes, but their gorgeous, sculpted lines make canoes and kayaks >>More

What to do when as a nation we are preparing to inaugurate as president a divisive figure whose campaign behavior has invigorated the kind of bigotry and intolerance that we should have put to rest long ago? Whose policies are hard to discern amid a torrent of tweets, threats, and campaign-promise reversals?

Having just read Mike Lynch’s article “Summer bad news for bears” [November/December 2016] about all the black-bear incidents with “no reported injuries to people,” I am struck by the unhappy coincidence of an episode that happened here in Maryland. The headline in the November 17 issue of the Washington Post reads, “Bear mauls woman in Maryland driveway in ‘rarest of rare’ attack.” It was only a few decades ago that black bears were extirpated here in Maryland and the Maryland Department of Wildlife was selling black-bear stamps to help with their reintroduction in western Maryland. Now it seems that we >>More

The Adirondack Explorer has provided a comprehensive survey of the Adirondack Park Agency’s upcoming decision regarding the Boreas Ponds classification. The APA holds the greatest responsibility of protecting the Adirondack Forest Preserve, and classifying the 6.8-mile logging road as Wild Forest, thus allowing motorized-vehicle access, would be an ecological disaster. It is imperative that the APA explore other alternatives, as suggested by many of the Adirondack Park advocacy groups. I encourage allowing people to drive only up to LaBier Flow and then make the short hike to the pond, as opposed to driving all the way up. I’d like to >>More

With all the outpouring of ideas on what to do about classifying the Boreas Pond Tract, I thought you might be interested in a brief history of the roads into the Boreas Ponds clearing. The first road was a tote road built in the 1890s that went along the west side of the Boreas River from the Blue Ridge Road into the clearing. It was about six miles long. Finch, Pruyn used this road as access to the Brace Brook Dam on the Boreas River up until 1949. The second road was built in 1935. It went from the end >>More

As an environmentally informed resident of Saratoga Springs and an outdoor enthusiast, I feel it is my duty to weigh in on the contentious discussion of the classification of the Boreas Ponds Tract in the Adirondack Park. Concerned citizens of New York cannot allow the Adirondack Park Agency to move forward with any proposal that allows motorized access all the way to the ponds. The use of snowmobiles and cars, permitted within Wild Forest areas, would scar this landscape. I understand that nearby towns may favor this proposal because they expect looser regulations will lead to more tourism and stimulation >>More

Thank you for publishing the article about the boating death of eight-year-old Charlotte McCue on Lake George in late July. This was a personal tragedy for our family as her parents and grandparents, the McCue and Knarr families, have been our family’s friends for many, many years. We are still heartsick over Charlotte’s senseless death. At Charlotte’s memorial service on the shore of Lake George I was struck by the number of boats and personal watercraft operating on the lake during the service. I don’t know how there aren’t many more accidents. People may say that this was just an >>More